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Successful Cyber Security CEO's Son Charged With Her Murder
“To grow a startup into a great company and then sell it to a bigger technology company was an incredible accomplishment,” said a friend.“But to do it as a woman, to do it as a person of color, just speaks volumes about her tenacity, about her brilliance..."
A Maryland man wanted for questioning in his mother’s murder has been arrested in Virginia, according to police.
Andrew Beavers, 23, was found with his mother’s missing vehicle on July 26, according to a press release from the Anne Arundel County Police Department. Authorities said they believe he killed his mother, 58-year-old Juanita Koilpillai, on July 25 at their shared home in Tracy’s Landing, Maryland, before fleeing to Virginia.
Beavers was found with a fresh laceration on his right hand that he could not explain, authorities said.
On July 26, the medical examiner stated that Koilpillai died by “sharp force injuries.” The manner of death was deemed a homicide.
On July 25, Koilpillai’s boyfriend reported her missing after finding blood at her home, according to Anne Arundel police, who found her body after a search outside the home and stated that she had apparent trauma to her body.
Koilpillai’s vehicle was located in Leesburg, Virginia, about 70 miles northwest of her home. Based on preliminary findings, authorities said they believe the murder to be a targeted incident.
Beavers was in possession of a weapon when he was arrested. It was analyzed on July 30 and matched the DNA of both Beavers and his mother.
“Evidence supports that after murdering his biological mother and secreting her outside, he then fled to Leesburg, Virginia in her vehicle,” the police said in the updated statement.
Koilpillai had a long history of research and developing systems in computer security, according to the Government Technology & Services Coalition. She was a key member of FEMA’s Enterprise Security Management Team and the CEO and founder of Cyberwolf, an “advanced automated attack warning system” deployed by the government.
“I’ll say [she was] a certifiable genius,” Ron Martin, a personal friend and Capitol Technology University professor, told the Capital Gazette.
Koilpillai’s company was approved and accredited by the Department of Homeland Security.
“To grow a startup into a great company and then sell it to a bigger technology company was an incredible accomplishment,” her friend, Connie Moore, told the Gazette. “But to do it as a woman, to do it as a person of color, just speaks volumes about her tenacity, about her brilliance, about her business acumen, about her technology expertise. It was extraordinary.”
The Loudon County Sheriff’s Office subsequently arrested Beavers and booked him on first and second-degree murder charges. He is currently awaiting extradition back to Maryland.
The Anne Arundel County Police Tip Line is open, and anyone with information should call 410-222-4700 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
